A-Rod is A-Zero: Rodriguez awaits first Series hit

Oct 30, 2009 - 8:21 AM NEW YORK(AP) -- Kate Hudson was talking to Kurt Russell when she suddenly stopped, leaned forward in a second-row box seat and clasped her hands together.

Moments later, she kicked back and shook her head. The mighty A-Rod had struck out - again.

A beast in the AL playoffs, Alex Rodriguez has become a bust in his first World Series.

Totally out of whack, swinging at shadows, his performance at the plate in Game 2 Thursday night mirrored his output in the opener. So far: 0 for 8 with six strikeouts.

"I'm not concerned," the New York Yankees star said. "The fact that I'm 0-fer in this Series and we're 1-1 makes me feel good."

Hudson sure didn't seem to enjoy watching her boyfriend struggle against the Philadelphia Phillies during the Yankees' 3-1 win.

The actress grimaced when Rodriguez flailed at a changeup from Pedro Martinez in the sixth inning - Rodriguez flipped his bat after his body bent out of shape chasing the pitch. She edged closer to a TV monitor to watch a replay after he was called out on strikes in the eighth.

"I've missed some pitches, fouled some off," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez seemed ready to put all his October failures behind him after hammering his way through the first two rounds, hitting a combined .438 with five homers and 12 RBIs against Minnesota and the Los Angeles Angels.

But after striking out three times in a game only twice all year, he's done it in each of the first two games against the Phils. Cliff Lee got him on Wednesday night, then Martinez and Ryan Madson stopped him.

"I think they're being careful," Rodriguez said.

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UNLIKELY STARS: Jerry Hairston Jr. and Jose Molina stepped up when two of the Yankees' biggest stars struggled in Game 2.

Hairston started a seventh-inning rally with a leadoff single and Jose Molina had a solid night behind the plate to help New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies.

"It does feel good. Sometimes, you've got to scrap," said Hairston, who replaced struggling Nick Swisher in right field. "I haven't started too many games the last two months or so."

With Molina subbing for Jorge Posada, A.J. Burnett threw seven sparkling innings. Molina, who has caught each of Burnett's postseason starts, also picked off Jayson Werth with a snap throw to first in the fourth.

The effort by New York's role players was especially crucial with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez both striking out three times.

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STAR POWER: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys fired up the Yankee Stadium crowd before Game 2, performing a clean version of "Empire State of Mind" from the rapper's hit album.

The two New Yorkers were originally scheduled to perform Wednesday night but were pushed back because of rainy weather. There was some concern about some of the song's raw language but Jay-Z kept it PG for the nationally televised performance.

The rap king - wearing a Yankees hat and jacket - and Keys got a loud ovation when they walked through an opening in the outfield wall in left-center to the stage behind second base. Keys, in a black and hot purple outfit, played keyboard before joining Jay-Z in the center of the stage for the end of the song.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who uses a snippet of "Empire State of Mind" for his at-bat music, bobbed his head during the performance while the Phillies watched attentively from the top step of the visiting dugout.

A buzz went through the crowd when Jay-Z rapped one of the signature lines of the hit: "I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can."

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NOT AGAIN: There was another blown call by the postseason umpires in the seventh inning of Game 2.

With one out and runners on first and second, Johnny Damon hit a smash to Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard. Umpire Brian Gorman, standing behind the 6-foot-4 Howard, immediately threw his arm up to indicate the ball was caught in the air, but TV replays indicated it bounced into Howard's glove.

"Did I catch it?" Howard said. "Well, he called him out."

Howard took a few steps toward first before throwing to shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who tagged Jorge Posada to complete the inning-ending double play. Posada stood on second for a few moments before bounding off the base to protest the call, and manager Joe Girardi came out of the dugout to argue.

The umpires gathered in the infield after the players returned to their dugouts, but the ruling stood.

A series of umpiring mistakes during the playoffs has led to calls for expanded use of instant replay, but commissioner Bud Selig said before the game he still thinks it's not necessary. Selig did promise more discussion of the topic.

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TOP SPOT: Ruben Amaro Jr. was one of Pat Gillick's top lieutenants when the Phillies won the World Series last season.

This time, he's in charge.

Amaro took over as general manager when Gillick retired following last season, ascending to the top spot after 10 years as an assistant in Philadelphia. The club hasn't skipped a beat under his leadership, winning the NL East and the pennant for the second consecutive year.

"What is really pretty cool about this being here right now is the fact that it's the big stage, it's New York," Amaro said before Philadelphia's 3-1 loss in Game 2. "It's the history and we're playing clearly one of the best teams in baseball, in our minds the best team in the American League.

"To be able to match up with this storied franchise and to be in this situation is pretty gratifying. It's pretty neat."

Amaro made a couple of shrewd moves during the season to help the Phillies get to this point. He acquired left-hander Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco from the Cleveland Indians for four prospects and signed free-agent righty Pedro Martinez.

Lee struck out 10 in a dominant performance in Philadelphia's 6-1 victory in the Series opener. Martinez went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts in the regular season and pitched into the seventh inning in a sharp outing in Game 2.

Amaro, 44, joined the Phillies immediately after his playing career ended in 1998. He worked under former GM Ed Wade for seven seasons and the last three with Gillick.

"I've had a chance to learn from some very, very good GMs in my mind," Amaro said. "They each had some pretty interesting qualities to kind of feed off of."